Destiny is second on my list of most-hours-played, wedged firmly between Dota 2 and Super Smash Bros. Melee. Hundreds of hours later I’m still not sure what that says about the game or me. Is Bungie’s post-Halo MMO shooter my second favorite game of all time? No. Do I regret the free evenings, early mornings, and random lunch breaks I’ve spent grinding through its universe? Maybe. And yet with Destiny 2 just around the corner I simply can’t help myself.

I’m not sure the sequel will fix even a quarter of what disappointed me about the first game. And frankly, even if Bungie went on to make Destiny 3 and 4, I’m not sure the end result would ever approach the game I imagined when the concept art first started to leak back in late 2012. But I go on anyway, hoping to catch a glimpse of that original vision hidden somewhere deep in-between the game’s digital seams.

It’s not unlike the start of another fall release lineup. This year’s Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, or Battlefront could finally be the ones to fully capitalize on their series’ potential. At least until 2018.